Armie Hammer, Ben Kingsley and John Malkovich to Star in Thriller 'Cut Bank'

The Black List script is a dark crime drama set in a small Montana town.

Armie Hammer, Ben Kingsley and John Malkovich will round out a powerhouse trio of male leads in Cut Bank, a crime thriller with a screenplay that landed a coveted spot on the 2009 Black List.

Written by Roberto Patino, the script is about a young auto mechanic desperate to escape his hometown of Cut Bank, Mont. His attempts "set in motion a series of events that will change his life, and the life of Cut Bank, forever," according to an announcement released Tuesday.

Production begins in the fall, with Matt Shakman, who has directed episodes of Mad Men and Six Feet Under, making his feature debut. Veteran producer Edward Zwick (Shakespeare in Love, Traffic), Mickey Barold and Dan Cohen are producing. Untitled Entertainment's Laura Rister is executive producing, with Untitled splitting domestic rights with WME Global Finance and Distribution Group.

"Cut Bank is a clever morality tale, a visceral thriller and ultimately a surprising story of redemption," Shakman said. "John Ford by way of David Fincher. [It] offers a director's dream: a great visual world and a brilliant collection of characters to populate it."

The WME-repped Hammer is shooting The Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp, while Kingsley, repped by CAA, can next be seen in Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator, playing the titular tyrant's security chief.